Will Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Veteran–Prodigy Duo Be Able to End JGR’s Dominance or SHR Claim the Title?

With a victory in Martinsville, Ryan Blaney punched his ticket to the Championship 4 race for the first time in his Cup Series career. The final race on the track of Phoenix is all set to host yet another finale and crown the new champion for the 2023 Cup season. However, of late, it is the Xfinity Series races that have seen more intense drama than the Sunday fixtures. Going by how the grid looks like, the Xfinity final promises to be no less riveting than its Cup Series counterpart.

The title contention has narrowed down to Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Team Penske in the Cup Series, and a similar picture is noticeable in the Xfinity Series as well. However, instead of HMS’s Chevys and Team Penske’s Ford, the two manufacturers have JR Motorsports and Stewart-Haas Racing, respectively, challenging JGR’s lone Toyota. 

As a result, the contention between the teams as well as the manufacturers to notch another championship to their name has intensified. However, while JR Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing are already dominant forces in the Xfinity Series, it is Tony Stewart‘s team that seems to have a tough nut crack on the 1-mile track.

Nevertheless, the countdown for the final race has already begun, and the question that looms is whether JR Motorsports can equal its title battle with Joe Gibbs or whether Stewart-Haas Racing has the final laugh for the first time on Saturday. 

Richard Childress Racing’s recklessness favors Dale Earnhardt Jr and his veteran driver

The past few days have been utterly chaotic in the world of the Xfinity Series, with the tussle between Richard Childress and Sheldon Creed coming to the limelight. While many considered the wreck as a fine example of recklessness on Sheldon Creed’s part after he tried to brake-check his own teammate Austin Hill, others found Childress’s and Hill’s reactions unjustified.

After Creed supposedly jeopardized not only his but also his teammate’s championship dream, team owner Richard Childress did not mince his words and lashed out at Creed. Leaving the race track, he furiously exclaimed, “I’ve had drivers drive for me before but nobody as stupid as Sheldon Creed. You don’t do that as a team player. What else do you want me to tell you?”

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As a result of the on-track antics, it was the 37-year-old veteran from Dale Earnhardt Jr’s team, Justin Allgaier, who capitalized on the on-track commotion and grabbed the chequered on the track of Martinsville. The driver’s ecstasy knew no bounds, as he expressed his emotions in his post-race interview. 

Allgaier exclaimed, “We’ve got a shot at going for a championship at Phoenix. My wife drove in today, my daughter’s last softball game was this afternoon. She said, ‘I got to watch the first win,’ and she decided to come here to be by my side. There’s nothing like it. This is an emotional one. I’ve wanted to win at Martinsville for a long time and, man, I’ve been on the other end of that too many times.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr’s prodigy claims a new title and punches his ticket to Championship 4

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Nevertheless, with the last elimination race drawn to a culmination, the finale at Phoenix would be a face-off amongst two JR Motorsports drivers and one each from JGR and Stewart-Haas Racing. While both JR Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing are the regular teams that have dominated the Xfinity Series, it will be a decisive moment for Stewart-Haas Racing as they seek their first Xfinity Series championship.

Moreover, it is noteworthy that Justin Allgaier is not the lone shining star for JR Motorsports, as his teammate Sam Mayer is ready to saddle up after his Homestead-Miami win. There were moments when the #1 Chevy driver lost his momentum. However, after Cole Custer hit the wall in the final stages, Mayer took the lead with less than 50 laps to go. The #1 driver was able to fend off a relentless and fast Riley Herbst and take the checkered. It was his first win on an oval after he won at Road America, Watkins Glen, and Charlotte Roval earlier this season. 

In his post-race interview with NBC’s pit reporter Kim Coon, an ecstatic Mayer expressed, “That’s unreal. We won on an oval. I can’t believe it. Like these guys… the Accelerate Camaro was just so good. Obviously, the 00 [Cole Custer], it was as fast as Xfinity 10G, but so were we.” Mayer also added, “It’s all about putting the full race together and I’m so proud of these guys. They kicked tail on pit road and we made it happen with these HMS engines.”

Nevertheless, with an 11th-place finish in the spring race at Phoenix, after juggling within the top 5 for the first two stages, the JR Motorsports prodigy with his sure-footedness hopes to turn the tables. Moreover, if either of the JR Motorsports drivers is able to claim another championship for their team, it would mark the fourth championship for Junior’s team and get them at par with Joe Gibbs Racing. 

Putting SHR’s worst Cup performance behind, Tony Stewart sees hope of championship in the Xfinity Series

While Dale Earnhardt Jr has two drivers in the fray, his friend Tony Stewart has only one driver to vouch for in the championship. His hopes lie in the driver he downgraded from the Cup Series earlier this year. Cole Custer Joined SHR’s Xfinity garage in 2017 as a rookie after running a few races for JR Motorsports earlier. In his debut as a full-time back in 2017, Custer notched 19 top-10 finishes.

Custer’s breakthrough moment was recorded in the 2019 season when he recorded seven victories. Furthermore, since his debut in the series, the #00 Ford driver has never missed out on any playoffs. And the 2023 season is no exception. However, there were moments when things looked to be going south, especially in the playoff race in Homestead-Miami. 

The driver suffered a flat tire on lap 151 and hit the wall at Turns 3 and 4. However, after hopping up and down the cut-line during the final playoff race in Martinsville, Custer was able to finish 19th. With Austin Hill securing just 23 points as a result of a DNF, Custer edged over with a 7-point lead over Hill.

Joe Gibbs Racing star can pose a threat to Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr

The final race at Phoenix would be anything but a cakewalk for SHR’s former Cup driver and JRM’s veteran–prodigy duo. They will be racing against Joe Gibbs Racing’s prized pilot John Hunter Nemechek, an absolute championship favorite. 

The JGR driver’s performance has secured him a permanent seat in the Cup Series for the Legacy Motor Club in 2024. He currently leads the points standings with as many as 7 wins to his name. He has more top 5 and top 10 finishes this season than any other contender. Moreover, Nemechek had a favorable run on the 1-mile track back in 2021, when he secured a P5 finish driving for Sam Hunt Racing.

As Nemechek will probably be contending for the Xfinity championship for the last time, he is sure to make it count. Nemechek’s championship-winning motivation was apparent in his media interview after his playoff win at Texas. The driver asserted, “I’m focused on this year,” further declaring, “Once we signed at Legacy, it was full focus back to the Xfinity Series and Joe Gibbs Racing and trying to go win this 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship.”

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Nevertheless, with just days away from the finale, it will be a unique spectacle to watch these three teams put in their full efforts, in the hopes of winning the championship.